From Beetlejuice to Dark Shadows, the faces of Burton's characters are creepily charismatic

The classic television character, vampire Barnabas Collins, reawakens this weekend in Tim Burton's Dark Shadows. Starring as Barnabas is, of course, Burton's right-hand man, the versatile Johnny Depp. Depp's Barnabas resembles the original on a basic level—he has jagged bangs, large ears, and fangs—but makeup department head Joel Harlow says there are marked differences between the two. Besides giving Depp a more modern hairstyle, pointy ear extensions, and a prosthetic nose bridge, Harlow added a Burton-esque pallor. "Johnny's Barnabas is quite a bit more pale than Jonathan Frid's," he says. "Another huge addition to Johnny is the finger extensions. His hands became their own character within his performance—I recall Tim saying that he wanted Barnabas to be very `tactile,' with his hands leading the way."

Tim Burton’s Makeup Masterpieces

Tim Burton’s Makeup Masterpieces

Harlow also designed Depp's makeup as Mad Hatter in Burton's Alice in Wonderland. To complement Alice's troubled yet fun-loving friend, vivid colors were layered over Burton's usual whitened palette. "In my experience as a makeup artist working with Tim, it is clear that his approach to makeup is to enhance not only the narrative but also the individual character," says Harlow. "He isn't afraid to push the boundaries when it comes to the look of a character, but only if that direction helps to convey the character's emotional center, giving his actors more to work with. It's almost as if the look of the character is, in itself, direction to his actors."